Property of the Week: 194 Oakridge Road, Bristol

By By Karen A. Avitabile

Oct 12, 2018 | 12:00 AM

Dr. Ronald B. Herriott and his wife, Claire, agree that they have had the perfect home to raise their three daughters. The nearly 5,000-square-foot home that they custom built in a country setting blends privacy and peacefulness.

The Nantucket-inspired Cape is perfect for entertaining indoors and out. Its location at the end of a cul-de-sac off Fern Hill Road, made it is easy for Dr. Herriott, a retired maxillofacial surgery specialist, to operate his practice in town. Within minutes, there is access to highways, ESPN, Bristol Hospital and the Farmington town line.

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Born and raised in Bristol, Dr. Herriott says he never considered building a home anywhere else.

The main floor offers plenty of living space. There are three bedrooms, two full and two half bathrooms, a kitchen, a family room, a dining room, a living room and a study. Three additional bedrooms and a full bathroom are located upstairs. The 13-room house has been fully updated with newer finishes throughout.

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"You can have one-floor living on the first floor," Dr. Herriott says. "It's a beautiful set up."

Outdoors there are colorful trees, shrubs, perennials and rhododendrons along a circular driveway. "It's a beautiful setting," Dr. Herriott says. "We see a lot of deer. There are lots of acorns for them to eat."

Bluestone stairs and pathways lead to the main front entrance and a secondary access into the mud room. Enter the front door into a large foyer with a high ceiling, an open staircase and views of the second floor. The mudroom has tile floors, a half bathroom, big closets, a second refrigerator, a sink, granite counters with a backsplash, a washer and dryer, and doors to the wooded backyard.

The eat-in kitchen, off the mudroom, is the center of the house, with custom cabinetry, stainless appliances, double ovens, a trash compactor, a Jenn-Air five-burner stove built into an island, granite counters and a granite floor, and a 15-foot counter that makes for easy entertaining.

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Relax in the family room with a gas fireplace encased in floor-to-ceiling brick and look into the backyard through double French doors and floor-to-ceiling windows. The dining room is bright with oversize windows and built-in glass cabinets displaying china and crystal. The room easily accommodates an oversize table for family gatherings.

There is a wood-burning fireplace surrounded by granite and a wood mantel in the living room, which also has a balcony and cathedral ceilings. Access to a deck is through double French doors. The study is the perfect room to read a book from one of the built-in shelves or cabinets or to just sit and relax. French doors open to a private deck overlooking the backyard.

Two of the bedrooms on the main level share a bathroom with a glass shower and marble floors and counters. The master bedroom has a wood-burning fireplace, French doors opening to a deck and seven-foot windows. A dressing room includes double closets. The master bath has plenty of space so that two people can to get ready in the morning. It feature two sinks, a marble make-up counter, a marble frameless glass shower, a whirlpool tub and a separate water closet,

Upstairs has a long, oak-floor hallway with lots of storage closets and space between three spacious bedrooms. The hallway looks down onto the first floor. The three bedrooms have double closets, including the second-floor master suite, which also features an office and a sitting area.

The 3,500-square-foot walkout basement, with a painted cement floor, is large enough for Dr. Herriott's grandchildren to ride their bikes. The basement houses a 70-gallon water heater and two oil tanks. It is plumbed for an additional bathroom.

The home has central air conditioning, city sewer and water, an alarm system and 400-amp electrical service. An irrigation system runs along the entire home and driveway. Electrical wires have been strategically placed on some of the red cedar shingles to reduce ice dams.